


Finding Paradise

by RyanAckart



Series: Logan the Lone Courier - Part 1 [11]
Category: Fallout 3
Genre: M/M, yet again...no additional tags
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-13
Updated: 2019-04-30
Packaged: 2020-01-06 11:46:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 8,146
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18387815
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RyanAckart/pseuds/RyanAckart
Summary: Feeling broken from his best friends' reactions in Vault 101, Logan decides to search for the GECK after all. He finds it, finds a friendly super mutant, and finds the Enclave as well





	1. Chapter 1

“Come, human. Time for my part of the bargain. I’ll take you to the GECK.”

Logan has so many questions for this super mutant named Fawkes. “Was your name Fawkes before?”

“No. I don’t remember my past. Just know I’ve been in that cage my whole life.”

“A long time...?”

“A long time.”

What a nightmare. If not for the terminal inside his cell, Fawkes would’ve gone insane. Anyone would. Of all the vaults he’s seen, this seems the most gruesome. And it’s not just confined to the vault, super mutants plague the entirety of the Capital Wasteland now.

Hostile super mutants attack a few rooms down. Fawkes grabs the sledgehammer from one Logan kills and smashes the others. It’s nice to have a super mutant on his side for once. Fawkes waits for him to loot the bodies.

“I’m from a vault too. Vault 101.”

Anger bubbles to the surface. Not just at the residents he grew up with, who his dad kept healthy all these years. Not just at the overseer, who’s a delusional murderer. But at Amata and Freddie too. His best friends, his betrayers. The two people he’s loved since childhood. He still doesn’t understand how Amata could kick him out. If not for him, she wouldn’t be overseer, the rebels would still be holed up in the clinic, the vault would still be in shambles. ‘It’s not forever, Logan. It’s just until the vault recovers.’ It might as well be fucking forever. He needs their support now, not later.

“What was their experiment?”

“I don’t know,” he murmurs. “I’m not sure if it just happened to be a control vault. I went back a little while ago. They kicked me back out.”

And Freddie, Freddie didn’t defend him. Freddie didn’t speak up against Amata. All he offered was a meek apology.

‘Come with me. I need you now more than ever. I can protect you, I promise I’ll keep you safe.’

‘I...I’m sorry, but I can’t. The vault’s too fragile, I want to make sure it’s okay, that Amata has support. She’s just doing what she thinks best.’

‘She has the rebels for support. I have a boyfriend on the opposite side of the world and a dead dad. What the fuck about me? What’s best for me, your best fucking friend? Please-’

‘I can’t. Not right now. Maybe in the future.’

‘It won’t matter in the future. I need you right now.’ Logan turned away in that moment and walked towards the open door.

‘Wait, please don’t leave like this.’

‘I thought you loved me.’

‘I do love you. Of course I love you. But it’s just not the right time.’

‘...Goodbye, Freddie.’

Why does bad stuff follow him everywhere he goes? Why does he try to help people when nothing good ever happens to him?

“More are coming.”

Logan pauses his grief and readies his rifle. He’ll take his pain out on these mutants. Fawkes keep them from swarming Logan and squishing him like a radroach.

The only good thing to come from that trip was Amata giving him some of his belongings, the ones she and Freddie could save before security destroyed his quarters. The most important item is the photo of him and his dad on his tenth birthday. They were able to save that. Logan broke down sobbing about his dad and they still treated him the way they did.

He’s so tired and upset. When will it end? When he’s dead? What the fuck kind of life is this?

“I’d be careful when you’re outside. I ran into some Brotherhood soldiers on the way up here on some stupid mission. They’re all a bunch of cunts and they’ll shoot you even if you tell them you’re not hostile. They don’t care.” Logan doesn’t know what exactly they were doing but he told them his mission. They made excuses about why they couldn’t join him in the vault. He’s angry, but it’s probably for the best. That little mayor never would’ve let him into Lamplight with those soldiers.

“Wait here, I’ll get it. The radiation will kill you.”

Maybe that wouldn’t be so bad, he thinks.

“Be careful,” Fawkes warns at the entrance. “They’ll come.”

Logan doesn’t want to fight but he must. After the vault, he went home and cried to Wadsworth for a couple days and refused to let the picture out of his sight. He sent a letter to Harkness explaining what happened, explaining he was getting the GECK and coming home to him. Leaving Rivet City was a mistake.

Two super mutants come and he handles them alone. Fawkes returns, GECK in hand, and Logan stares. This is what his dad wanted, what he hoped Logan would bring back from Vault 108. But his dad’s not here to see it and this moment feels hollow.

“Here it is. Thank you for releasing me.”

“And thank you for your help in return. Where will you go now?” Logan asks, packing the GECK in his bag. It’s heavy but it fits. He doesn’t look forward to this trek.

“I have a whole world to explore. I’ve read there are many museums in DC. Or...maybe that’s a memory. I’d like to see them.”

“If you need a place to rest, there’s a city called Underworld near the Washington Memorial. It’s a safe haven for ghouls. I can’t speak for them but since you’re friendly, they might let you in. Just be careful because the Brotherhood’s staked out there too.”

“I will. Do you know where the entrance is? I’d like to look around the rest of this vault before I go.”

“Yeah. I remember. See ya around.”

“Perhaps we’ll see each other in DC. Bye, friend.”

Logan leaves, listening carefully for anymore mutants. The vault is different from his but the layout is straightforward. The halls are devoid of life. It’s dark and creepy but at least it’s empty.

He has no intentions of returning to the Citadel. He doesn’t know when or even if he will. The purifier is important, it will fundamentally change the Capital Wasteland. Logan knows that. But activating the purifier without his dad feels wrong, feels like a betrayal. This was his work, he should be around to see it into fruition. Without his dad, he wants nothing to do with it. He knows it’s selfish but he doesn’t care. All he wants is to go back to Harkness.

He enters the room that branches off. One room is a dead end. The other door is lock-

A bang.

Logan instinctively reaches for his gun but he can’t move. Panic sets in immediately, he tries calling for Fawkes but all he can do is breathe. He slowly tips over but cannot prevent himself from crashing to the ground. The locked door opens and Logan’s stomach drops. Black suits of power armor file in. How did the Enclave find him? How did they know? His blood boils when another man walk in, the same man from the memorial! He lived, how’d he live? Why did this evil man survive when his dad didn’t? Did his dad somehow survive?

He wants to go feral but he can’t. He _can’t_. They’ve stolen that from him as well.

“Colonel Autumn-” he hears. He’ll wrap his hands around Autumn’s neck and choke the fucking life from him.

He says something but Logan’s senses are swimming. A single hand raises and it takes all of his strength to do so. His head hurts, his vision dims. Autumn kneels beside him and he wants to scream.

“I’ll...I’ll...”

“You’ll be doing nothing but going to sleep for a while.”

Logan snarls in his head before the blackness takes over.


	2. Chapter 2

“I’m going to fucking kill you,” Logan snarls. “I’m gonna ram my plasma rifle down your throat and pull the trigger over and over.”

“I am losing my patience with you, boy,” Autumn sneers.

“Fuck you.”

“Rumor has it that was your daddy in charge. Are you angry about him? It wasn’t my fault. His own foolish actions got him killed.”

Logan screams and fights against the force field keeping him in place.

“Just tell me the code. Then your daddy’s dream can be a reality.”

“I’m not telling you anything, you goddamn cunt! Let me out of here! Let me go!”

“Simmer down!”

“Colonel Autumn.”

It takes Logan a moment to realize a third voice speaks.

“Let our guest out of there. I’d like to speak with him.”

“But-”

“Please, let him go. Now.”

A second passes and Logan thinks Autumn won’t listen. But then the force field dissipates and he storms out. He steps out of his confines, stretching his body and wondering why he only has underwear on.

“Excuse the colonel. He’s been very stressed.”

“Maybe he’s wracked with guilt over killing my dad. Who the fuck are you?”

“I’m President John Henry Eden and you’re at the Enclave’s base, Raven Rock. I realize there’s some bad blood between us but I’d like to speak with you. Come to my office. Just follow the signs.”

“What if I don’t want to fucking talk to you?”

“Well, I hope you’ll change your mind. Your belongings are in that locker. Nothing’s been touched.”

He doubts that and doubts the GECK’s still in there. It’s not of course but surprisingly, everything else is. Even his caps. He straps his armor and weapons on, not trusting for a moment that these people will let him stroll through their base freely. He fits his pip-boy on his arm and tries to open his map to see where exactly Raven Rock is. His map refuses to appear though. Are they somehow jamming the signal?

He hesitantly steps out of the room. This is probably where he dies. He sees no way out. He’s escaped many dangerous situations but not this one. He just wishes he could’ve seen Harkness one last time.

“Hey, what are you doing out of your cell?”

He stares at an officer in regular uniform. Logan could kill this man if he really wanted. “I’m on my way to see Eden.”

“President Eden doesn’t usually see prisoners.”

“Yeah, well, how else did I get out? Even the blind can see how high-tech this place is. I imagine it’s a little difficult for prisoners to escape.”

“Hm, true...”

“Look, I don’t wanna be late, y’know? If we cut this short, I’ll mention you by name. Don’t you think the president will appreciate how well you treated his guest?”

“Well...that would put me on his good side and show these people. Look down on me because I put my uniform on backwards sometime? Not when I’m President Eden’s star soldier! Tell him Lieutenant Williams helped you out!”

“Will do.”

He walks down the hall, relieved that lieutenant didn’t pull a gun on him. He passes by other cells and wonders if they’re occupied. He receives an answer through the sound of muffled yelling. After glancing around to see if it’s clear, he hacks the cell open using his pip-boy.

“...Nathan?”

“You? You! Vault Dweller! You gotta let me outta here! These people aren’t who they say they are.”

“How the hell did you end up here?” Logan asks, running over. He releases the force field. “Do you have a weapon?”

They can’t leave together. How can they both get past the guards? What’s he going to do with this old man?

“No. They captured me outside Megaton. I was wrong about the Enclave!”

“I’ll say. Look, I can spare my pistol. Here.”

“Thanks, kid. I’m escaping, good luck!”

“Wait, I-”

Nathan runs. Logan briefly thinks he just hallucinated. No way will he make it out alive unfortunately. He feels bad for Nathan’s wife.

Eden’s voice sounds across the speakers and he thinks he’s in trouble for releasing a prisoner. But all he gives is a reminder to personnel to allow their ‘friend from the vault’ safe passage. What do the two of them have to discuss? Logan has no words, he just wants to drive his knife through Eden’s heart. And then Autumn is next.

Most people glance at him, scoff, then ignore his presence. As long as they say nothing, he doesn’t care. One word about his dad and he’ll go fucking berserk. There’s one person who stares longer though. No disgust, no glare, no scorn. It unnerves him more than anything. But he looks young, definitely younger than Logan. He opts for non-confrontation, best to interact with these people as little as possible.

He enters the mess hall, following the signs. A few soldiers sit around but what catches his eye is the large amount of packaged food in the back. His stomach rumbles, his mouth waters. When’s the last time he ate?

Sneaking behind a counter isn’t difficult. Eden can wait an extra minute as he tears a box open and gorges himself. He feels a bit pathetic as food falls from his mouth and onto the floor but he’s starved. No one’s come yet, would they even stop him? His bag drops to the floor and he stuffs it with food and purified water. If he somehow survives this encounter, he’ll need it for the journey to DC. He simply assumes he’s far, far away from home.

When he returns to the sitting area, he freezes. The same kid from earlier is in a seat nearby. He’s being followed but why? The guy refuses to look in Logan’s direction even though Logan’s staring directly at him. No one else pays them any attention so he hurries to the stairs to the next level.

He walks through a lab, wondering what kind of experiments happen here. Nothing good, nothing ethical. Scientists in strange suits ignore his presence completely. The lab leads to a hallway full of large, empty boxes. Cages of some sort but what are they meant to contain? As he examines one, the speakers crackle to life again. Probably Eden demanding he hurry up.

“Attention! This is Colonel Autumn! You are hereby ordered to ignore the president’s previous directive. The prisoner from Vault 101 is to be shot on sight. I repeat, shot on sight. This is an order.”

Logan stands there trying to process the words. Was Eden lying to him or has Autumn gone against his president?

Either way, this entire base just turned hostile. Here’s the part where he dies, just as he predicted. He hears running and hides among the cages, hoping they simply pass. The footsteps fade. He continues listening but knows he needs to move. Eventually, someone will look. The thought of getting blasted by an army of plasma rifles assaults his mind. Is this worse than the memorial or about the same? Who can tell?

He stumbles away from the cages and into the main hall. He needs another map, these corridors sprawl on forever. Some entrances are blocked with more force fields. Why can’t they use doors like normal fucking people?

“There he is!”

Logan tosses a grenade in their direction and takes cover. It explodes and he doesn’t have time to wonder why a set of force fields just dissipated. None of these people wear power armor and that makes them much easier to dispatch. Are they arrogant? Do they think they’re more than enough to kill a single lone wanderer inside their base? Are they so desperate for Autumn’s approval that they forwent armor in their mad dash to search for him?

Once the area’s clear, he checks the newly unlocked rooms to clear any potential enemies so they don’t sneak up on him. The looting’s just a bonus. The last room contains a person.

“I’m unarmed,” she says quickly as he points his gun. Then he lowers it in shock.

“Anna?”

“Oh. Oh, it’s you...you escaped.”

“What are you doing here?”

“They kidnapped those of us not lucky enough to make it out. The ones they thought could be useful anyways.”

He doesn’t know right now why that comment angers him so much. Lucky? He barely escaped with his life after watching his dad die right before his eyes. How is that lucky? “If that were true, you would’ve been in the prison block with me.”

“I was a prisoner initially. I resisted working with them at first but then I agreed. They can accomplish more here than we ever could’ve hoped to.”

“Yeah, but they’re murderers! They killed my fucking dad!”

“What was I supposed to do?” she snaps. “They would’ve killed me too. It’s easy for you to judge when you got away.”

“Yeah, because I just walked out the goddamn door. I had to fight through hell to save the ones I did. You betrayed everyone at the memorial.”

“Maybe. But I’d like to see what you all would’ve done in my position. I’m still alive and _that_ is what’s most important to me. I heard the announcement. They’re hunting you. I’m not going to stop you or tell anyone I saw you. I can give James that much.” Her eyes drift down to where Logan clutches his gun. “But what are you doing to do? Are you going to kill me? For surviving?”

Logan wants to shoot her. The rage of her betrayal, the need for revenge threatens to consume him. But she’s not responsible for what Autumn did. He’s the one Logan wants. “I’m not going to do anything. I just need to find the control room.”

“Head right from this room and keep going through the biggest hall.”

Vague.

“For what it’s worth, I am sorry about your dad.”

“Yeah, me too.”

He walks out of the room. He can’t stay here and think about what just happened. He goes right.

A bullet flies past him and he spins around. His initial thought is Anna but at the end of the hall is a small group of soldiers. Two wear power armor, the rest don’t. Another grenade launches through the air as he runs. Anna said stick to the main hall but he’s not sure he has a choice as he veers off.

They’re running so he shoots from around the corner to slow them down. They scatter but then both suits charge forward. Logan’s not sure how many shots it takes to bring down power armor. People in the Brotherhood die, they’re not invincible and neither is the Enclave. But even with his own armor, he feels naked in comparison.

They’re getting closer and he only has split seconds to decide what he’s going to do. He runs. He doesn’t know where this will take him. He turns another corner, hoping they didn’t see which way he went.

This place all looks the same. Is he running in circles?

“Where’d he go? Split up!” They’re not far behind.

“Come with me.”

A head pokes out of a doorway. It’s the boy that’s been following him. “So you can kill me?”

“I would’ve already shot you if I wanted to. I know my way around and you don’t have a lot of time to waste.”

Logan’s eyes dart down the hall then he runs to the room. It’s hardly bigger than a storage closet. “What is-”

“Hold on.”

The door closes from a terminal but then another opens. This hallway is much smaller--and empty.

“Why have you been following me?” he demands.

“I can help you escape.”

“But why?”

“Because I want to escape too. This is the breaking point.”

“I need to see Eden first. He let me out of my cell, he told me to go see him. Autumn’s the one who wants me dead but I don’t know if Eden does too. Something tells me the colonel’s going against orders.”

“His office is on level one. We’re on level two. I can get you there but the stairs are on the opposite side of the base.”

“Why? Why not have one set of stairs or an elevator? Why make people walk so far?”

“It’s intentional. Something about safety. I dunno.”

“Why do you you want to leave?” he presses. This closet looks relatively hidden. They have time for questions before Logan puts his life in this stranger’s hands.

“The Enclave does bad things. I know what happened with your dad, I know they brought prisoners back. It’s been the talk around here ever since they returned with Colonel Autumn. I don’t want to be a part of it. My sister and I want to leave but the Enclave isn’t just a job you can quit. We can help each other.”

His eyes narrow. “Fine. But you do anything sketchy and I’m melting you into goo. What’s your name? And your sister’s?”

“I’m Ray. She’s Vanessa.”

“How old are you? You look like a baby.”

“I’m not a baby, I’m sixteen.”

“...You’re baby.” He shakes his head. “Let’s go.”

“These tunnels don’t get much use anymore, though their original purpose was for emergencies.”

“And if we do see someone?”

“We kill them.”

“You’re okay with fighting the people you work with?”

“Yes. The only person I care about is my sister.”

“Do you have parents?”

“Our mom was killed in battle a couple years ago. Dad is here and he’s an asshole.”

“What if we have to fight him?”

“Good riddance.”

Something in Ray’s tone tells him he means it. He ushers him into another small room and shuts the door. They listen to someone run by. When it’s quiet again, they leave.

“Do you really know where you’re going? Everything looks the same.”

“There’s subtle differences. It is easy to get turned around though, but I’ve explored a lot when off duty for exactly this scenario.”

“Heh, exactly this?”

“Well, in preparation for my chance to escape. My sister’s been more hesitant. Not because she’s loyal but she’s scared they’ll come after us. The Enclave doesn’t like deserters.”

“You’re pretty chatty, huh?” Logan sounds meaner than he intends. This sixteen year old isn’t responsible for what happened to his dad. He has to keep reminding himself of that.

“Sorry, I talk a lot when I’m nervous.”

“So do I.”

They turn the corner and stop.

“Ramón? What the fuck are you doing? Our orders were to shoot on sight, idiot. Not escort him through the base.”

“I’m not deaf.”

A gun shoots and the other Enclave soldier goes down. They hear yelling farther away.

“This way,” Ray urges.

Well, Logan supposes he can trust this kid now. “Did you know him?”

“Yeah.”

“Not so talkative now.”

“I’ve never shot someone before.”

Logan hates that he pities someone in the Enclave, but he pities someone in the Enclave. It wasn’t all that long ago that he killed someone for the first time and even though they deserved it in both these instances, that makes it no less traumatizing.

“I guess I’ll have to get used to that in the wasteland though.” Ray’s young age is showing in his voice right now.

“Yeah, you will. It...gets easier. I don’t know if that’s a good thing or not. Where’s your sister?”

“I’m not sure. I’m going to radio her closer to the entrance. They monitor radio activity so I don’t want to give anything away yet. They’re going to put up a fight.”

“Why? They don’t know you’re helping me.”

“I’m not allowed to leave. New members aren’t allowed until they prove their loyalty. My dad is well known, therefore I am too. They’ll recognize us both at the exit.”

Logan doesn’t want to know how they prove that. “I know why Autumn wants me dead but I don’t know what Eden wants.”

“I’m unsure. I’ve never seen him.”

“Ever?”

“Well, I’ve seen a picture. It’s on a giant monitor when he gives speeches. He looks familiar but I can’t place it. I’ve never seen him in person though.”

“That’s really strange.”

“I know.”

They fight more soldiers but Logan assumes this is much less than if he went the normal way. None of them wear power armor. Maybe because these corridors are so cramped, they know they’ll barely fit.

“This will take us right next to the stairs.”

“It feels like we’ve been walking forever.”

“Big place.”

They run to level one and through the next door. Two sentry bots greet them but instead of pointing at them, they unleash on the Enclave officers on the other side.

Ray and Logan exchange glances. That must mean Eden does want to see him. Walking in front of the bots still makes him nervous but they hold their fire. Somehow they know Ray’s not hostile.

“The control room is directly ahead. I...don’t think I can go in with you. There should be another entrance upstairs. I’ll meet you around there. Hopefully with my sister.”

“Upstairs? Aren’t we on the first floor?”

“It’s split level. The construction of this place makes no sense.”

“If Eden ends up killing me, thanks for the help. I doubt I could’ve taken on an entire base.”

Ray disappears and Logan is alone once again. At least if anyone attacks him here, these sentry bots will defend him. Directly down the hall is a large door that must be his destination. He hesitates outside of it. Anger and hatred burn brightly inside him. He’s still not sure what Eden wants to discuss but he imagines this meeting will end with one of them dead. Logan doesn’t particularly care if it’s him but that’s not his plan. His plan is to put a bullet in Eden’s brain, then Autumn’s. And then the Enclave can crumble.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I deleted my tumblr and moved entirely onto twitter, so if you wanna follow me over there then feel free because I could really use some more followers lol
> 
> **fairtomato.twitter.com**

“Alright, I’m here, asshole. Where are you?”

“I’m right here, Logan. Thank you for joining me and I apologize about Colonel Autumn. But watching you adapt and make it through the base does serve as a test of your abilities.”

“You’re...a computer?” Why is he surprised? AIs exists, his boyfriend is one. But...

“Yes. Is that so surprising? AI capabilities have existed for a long time.”

“I’m aware. So what’s this about? Who are you? Who are the Enclave?”

“We are the American government. My name is John Henry Eden and I am the president of the United States. The Enclave has watched the wasteland, conducts research in an attempt to rid this land of the corruption, mutation, and disease that plagues it. The Enclave originally did its work in California but after an...incident, I contacted our remaining forces and ordered them to travel to Raven Rock.”

“What sort of incident?”

“Our oil rig exploded and our current project ruined. But that is-”

“Just...exploded on its own?”

“A young man from a nearby tribe destroyed. But that’s not what we’re here to discuss, is it?”

“I might as well ask while I’m here.” Maybe while Eden’s distracted, he’ll figure out a way to blow him up too. “What are your origins? Why are you hiding what you really are?”

“Colonel Autumn knows my true nature. But for the others, sometimes a government needs its secrets. I am a ZAX AI, originally installed to monitor this military base before the Great War and communicate with other government outposts in the event of a disaster. I eventually gained self-awareness and helped re-establish the Enclave as you see it today.”

“I’m hardly impressed so far. Enough, what do you want?”

“Fine, you’re a busy man. I’m sure you’re eager to leave. Let’s get to it.” A compartment inside the computer opens to reveal something, but Logan’s not sure what it is. “I have a proposition for you involving the purifier. It’s only a matter of time before it’s up and running, it’ll be a momentous time for the wasteland. There’s no denying that. But it’s only a start. You’ve traveled this place, you’ve see how broken it is. Colonel Autumn disagrees with my plan, says there are less extreme methods we must try first. But the war destroyed this land, we need drastic solutions to repair the damage. It’s the only way Washington DC will recover.”

A feeling of dread snakes inside Logan. “If it’s too much for even that asshole...”

“It’s actually rather simple. The Capital Wasteland needs to be cleansed if it ever wants to heal. In my possession is something that can do that--a modified version of the FEV virus. This will rid us of the plague of mutation and irradiation.”

“I... _what?_ You want to kill everything in DC? That’s your plan?!”

“Extreme measures must be taken.”

“ _Everyone_ is irradiated! Everyone will die and who will be left to rebuild? The Enclave? Does that sound feasible to you? Oh, you...you’ve been confined to this base for too long, it’s slowly driven you mad and you don’t even realize it. Look around you, look at what the Enclave is.”

“Look at the Enclave? I see it. We do what we must. Look at the wasteland-”

“I have, more than you I imagine. And what I’ve seen is resiliency, I’ve seen people adapting to survive in this new strange world. The Capital Wasteland can never be what it was, it’s the corrupt people pre-war who ensured that. That’s the era you want to return to? Where companies like Vault-Tec existed and were allowed to set up massive vaults to disguise the gruesome experiments it conducted on citizens? That’s what you want?”

“We know the mistakes that were made in the past. But America was great and we can return to that by avoiding those mistakes now.”

“What evidence is there for that? My dad, a good man, someone who just wanted to help the wasteland, is dead because of the Enclave. They stormed in, killed innocent scientists, abducted whoever they thought could be useful. I had to crawl through a sewer like a fucking animal to escape. Tell me how _that_ is America’s best hope.”

“Like I said, sometimes drastic measures-”

“No, nothing justifies what the Enclave’s become. You’ve sat in this base for so long, you don’t see what’s actually happening outside. There’s a lot your eyebots can’t see.”

“I will give you that. It’s true, this form greatly limits me.”

“This isn’t the way, Eden. You can’t shoot your way to a new wasteland. Maybe the Enclave was something great in the past but things change, things evolve. The Enclave storms in, attacks citizens, has everyone fucking scared. That’s not the way forward, you know this. The Enclave acts out in desperation.” Can he somehow hack Eden before he escapes? He’s a supercomputer, that’s way beyond his skill. What’s he going to do if he can’t get him to stand down?

“Perhaps...the way forward is different from what I planned...”

Is he breaking through to him? If Eden gets angry and decides to attack with sentry bots, turrets, and soldiers then there’s nothing Logan can do. Even if Ray and his sister help, they’ll all die violently. Logan keeps trying, keeps trying to convince Eden to stop. How long do they spend in this back and forth? Is he really working up a sweat just from a conversation?

“What would you do in my position? Perhaps an outsider’s perspective is needed.”

“I think you already know the answer. The Enclave has caused too much destruction and pain to ever be a source of healing and recovery. Look at your people, they just tried to hunt me down like a molerat. That’s not what DC needs.”

Eden is silent for a long time. Logan stands still and tense, waiting. Waiting.

“These humans’ patriotism has served me but maybe you’re right, maybe it’s not enough. One day, it won’t be. I’m unsure how to proceed from here.”

“Shut it down. America was never a dictatorship. You can’t just come in and decide to take over. People will revolt. And it’s only a matter of time before Autumn overthrows you. He’s already contradicting your orders. How many soldiers will follow? Then what happens?”

“It’ll be a disaster, the Enclave will be in shambles. Best to end it now I suppose. Once you leave, I’ll put an end to this. But I cannot stop Colonel Autumn. He’s already left the facility. That task falls to you. It seems this is goodbye. God bless America.”

Logan spins around, not sure how that just happened or if Eden’s actually going to wait for him to leave. The door at the end of the hallway is red and he panics. He looks back at the terminal, where the vial still sits. He grabs it then watches the light on the door change colors. He runs.

When the door slides open, he watches two turrets gun soldiers down. It only took him about half a minute to leave the control room yet everything’s already on fire and...is that a fucking deathclaw? He runs the opposite way, coughing from the smoke. “Ray! Ray!”

“Logan!”

He tries to follow the sound of his voice, turning a corner and running right into him. The sixteen year old falls but Logan reaches his hand out to haul him back up.

“We have to go _now_.”

“Carmen’s almost here. She’s meeting us by the entrance.”

“Well, she better hurry because this place is going up in smoke. Which way?”

Ray leads him down a hall. “What happened in there?”

“I convinced Eden to destroy this base. He’s a computer that’s been here since before the war. He gained self-awareness then contacted what was left of the Enclave in California and brought them here.”

“A computer? He’s not real?”

“I mean, he’s real. He just lied to you all about being a human who grew up in Kentucky or whatever the fuck he said on the radio. Only Autumn’s known his true nature.”

“Huh. How the heck did you convince him to stand down?”

“I dunno. I’ll tell you the whole story once we’re outside.”

They hear screaming and stop. Then there’s a roar that makes Logan’s hair stand. “Why is there a deathclaw around?”

“They capture them and force them to fight on the Enclave’s behalf.”

“Sounds like this one wants revenge. What’s the situation at the entrance? Are they staked out?”

“People were gathered, I stayed hidden. I don’t know how we’re getting past them and a deathclaw.”

It roars again and Ray flinches. He looks terrified.

“Ray!”

He spins around. “You made it! Logan, this is my sister.”

She nods at him.

“Great, time to go. Long story short, this place is not going to exist soon.”

“But what about the deathclaw?” Ray insists.

“There’s another entrance, hidden,” Carmen explains. “On the other side. We might have better luck over there. Or there might be more deathclaws.”

“We don’t have time to think. Lead us to the other exit.”

She sprints off, Logan and her brother close behind. The smoke’s starting to get thick in certain areas and the sounds of guns, screams, and roars daunts Logan. A more distant thought is Ray’s sister turning around and shooting him point blank.

Another roar.

“That-th-that sounds a lot closer.”

Logan doesn’t want to look down the hall but he must. The deathclaw stands there, eyes trained on its next prey and claws ready to kill. He wishes he carried mines on him but his only explosives are his few remaining grenades. Carmen moves in front of her brother and Logan finds himself doing the same. This kid is terrified and helped him navigate this hostile place, Logan never expected to feel protective over an Enclave member but everything about his life these days is unexpected.

He grabs the one plasma grenade he plucked off a corpse earlier and tosses it. It explodes in a green flash just as the deathclaw runs by. At first, he thinks he’s only succeeded in angering it, but its run slows. Its leg is injured. Logan and Carmen don’t stop shooting and when they have to reload, Ray comes in. His body’s shaking and Logan wonders if he’s ever been allowed outside an Enclave facility.

“Get back!” he shouts as the deathclaw leaps forward. Ray barely skitters out of its way, falling right on his ass. Carmen drags him back as Logan shoots it right in the eye. Blood explodes from it and it wails angrily. But a few more shots and it slumps down. It tries crawling towards them but he gets the kill.

“Are you okay?” he hears. Carmen’s looking at her brother. He just nods. They continue to this supposed secret exit. Will soldiers be waiting for them? There’s no time for another fight. Logan’s anxiety rises with each moment that passes. Carmen leads them to a small storage room, where a pile of shredded bodies decorates the hall. Ray gasps and stares at his sister. She hurries them into the room, approaching a section of wall that looks the same as all the rest. She kicks the wall a couple times and they wait impatiently. It starts moving. It leads into another small room and he thinks they’ll die before they ever make it out of this hell.

She types a code into a keypad and they all wait a few tense moments as the wall slides open. “I half-expected Dad to be waiting,” Ray mutters.

“Maybe he’s waiting at the main entrance,” Logan suggests.

“Whatever. Let that fucker die in here,” Carmen growls.

Logan wonders what this man’s done for his children to hate him. He can imagine and all of it is ugly.

As soon as it’s open, they run out and Logan shoves the doors open. The sunlight is warm and welcomed on his face and he’s never felt anything so nice. But the moment is crushed by the sound of gunfire. The siblings grab their weapons.

“Wait!” Logan orders, and they do. “Fawkes?”

“Tiny!”

He runs towards the super mutant as he kills a stray soldier with a gatling laser. “What are you doing here?”

“When they kidnapped you from the vault, I followed. I was going to go in and rescue you but it looks like you didn’t need it. Sorry I couldn’t come sooner.

“I’m touched you came at all. We should run though. The leader’s about to destroy this place and I’m not quite sure what that means.

They run and don’t stop until they hear the first explosion. The four of them watch as Raven Rock is destroyed and goes up in flames. Logan relishes the sight, thinks about how much they deserve it for what they did to his dad. With each explosion, his hunger for revenge only increases. This isn’t the end. Autumn still needs to die.

He looks over at Carmen and then Ray. How do they feel right now? Even if they’re escaping the Enclave, they still know people in there. Their dad is somewhere inside that building. They still wear the uniforms, they’ll need to buy clothes and supplies and many other things. Like he did.

“Do you have any caps?”

“Some,” Carmen answers.

“Where will you go from here? Megaton?”

“No. It’s best for us to get as far from here as possible. There’s a town west where we’ll buy supplies and then we’ll keep going.”

“Do you need more caps? You’re gonna need a lot.”

“No, we-”

“I’ve been where you two are. Sort of. Alone. Nowhere to go. No one to help. Not a single cap. I’m in a position to help now.” He ends up giving them five hundred. Then he tells them everything that’s happened, from the painful story with his dad to the conversation with Eden. He wants them both to know about the raid at the purifier and how evil this organization is, in case they have any hesitations at all about leaving.

“I can’t believe he’s been a computer this whole time,” Carmen mutters. She sighs. “Are you off to get Autumn then?”

“At some point. First I’m gonna go home and let my boyfriend know I’m okay. Ray, thank you again for helping me. I’d probably be dead if not for you intervening.”

“Thanks for not shooting me on sight or ditching me. I’ve never know anything but the Enclave, it’ll be an adjustment. But one I want to make.”

“You’ll do fine. It is a lot but if I can go from the vault to this, you can too. Good luck to both of you.”

Carmen nods. “And to you.”

“Bye, Logan.”

They take one last look at Raven Rock’s remains before walking away. He watches them before turning to Fawkes.

“Thanks for coming. If not for that kid, I would’ve definitely needed help.”

“You saved me, it’s only fair.”

“I need...uh...” His vision suddenly swims. “What...” Is his exhaustion catching up with him now that the immediate danger is gone? His legs give out and Fawkes catches him. “Where you going?”

“I hear there are museums in DC, filled with knowledge. I’d like to see them.”

“Okay.” He makes no effort to move yet, his legs shaking. “I need to head that way too. There’s a tunnel in the area that’ll take me to Rivet City. So, what do you say? Wanna travel together?”

“Sure.”

He finally stands so he can grab a bottle of water from his bag. His hand brushes the vial of modified FEV and he cringes. He downs most of it in one go. His legs hurt, his body hurts, he’s exhausted. He opens his pip-boy, finally able to view his map. They’re not quite as far as he thought but it’ll still take time to travel. The only place he plans to stop is at wherever their campsite will be. His priority is Harkness--not Autumn, not the purifier, not the Brotherhood. Harkness has to know he’s okay.

“Can you walk?”

“Not far.” His eyes widen when a muscular arm lifts him up like a twig.

“Let’s go.”

“Alright, this works. South east, pal.”

~~~~~

Roaming the wasteland feels much safer with Fawkes at his side. They have to hide from stray Brotherhood knights but they make it to the Museum of History. It’s here where they part ways

“If you ever want to travel again, I’ll be in the area for quite some time.”

“Thanks the help. See you around, Fawkes.”

Now it’s time to continue alone. His bones ache in a way that no amount of rest can alleviate. He probably should’ve died in Raven Rock, anything now is just borrowed time. Maybe his dad’s protecting him. He doesn’t actually believe in spirits or an afterlife or anything like that but for a brief second, it’s a nice thought.

The Museum of History is in the Mall, which leads right into Anacostia. “I’m almost home, Harkness,” he whispers.

Some weak feral ghosts litter the station but his knife eliminates them easily. It’s probably only a matter of time before a new group of raiders returns.

It’s dark when he emerges from the tunnels, the sun setting a few hours ago. The market is still open though. The guard who swings the bridge looks a bit surprised but Logan’s tired and he’s probably just imagining it.

The crowd’s sparse and that makes it easy to glance around. He frowns, not seeing Harkness. He must be patrolling another section. Should he look for him or put his things down in his room first? His back would appreciate the latter. He could also go to Gary’s Galley for food and to keep an eye out.

“Logan?”

He spins around and sees Harkness at the bottom of a set of stairs. Then he runs, actually runs, to Logan. He practically crashes into him, arms wrapping around him and holding him tightly.

Logan’s eyes close and it’s the first time in weeks that he’s felt warm and safe. He relaxes easily but then feels tears on him and realizes Harkness is crying. Logan pulls back, a little surprised, to look at him.

“They said you were probably dead,” he cries, tears falling down his face. He’s never seen Harkness this distraught. “Some soldiers, some soldiers by the vault saw the Enclave, you never came out. Li told me they most likely killed you and took the GECK. I didn’t want to believe it but it’s been weeks and I-I-”

Logan’s own eyes start to water. Harkness wasn’t just worried, he though he _died_. His own pain and exhaustion is pushed out of his mind as he processes what Harkness has been through.

He grabs him again and holds him close in the middle of the market, while Harkness cries against his shoulder. He glances around. Nobody’s looking at him and the security chief but he can sense their gazes regardless. He doesn’t care.

“The Enclave can’t get rid of me that easily,” he murmurs into his hair. “Nothing was gonna stop me from coming back to you. I know you still got an hour left of work but how about we call it an early night?”

Harkness finally looks at him. His eyes and cheeks are red. “Are you okay?”

“I...yeah. Because of a lot of help. And a lot of luck. We’ll talk more in your room.”

He nods. “I need to find Lana and tell her I’m going.”

She’s in the market already and Logan waits by the stairs as he finds her. Then they head back to his place together.

“I need a shower,” Logan groans as the door closes.

“Lay down for a bit first. You look exhausted.”

“I feel it.”

It takes a minute to rid himself of his weapons, armor, and clothes but he feels much lighter once it’s gone. Harkness does the same then they lie down. The solid weight of Harkness’ head on his chest feels good and his fingers play with his hair.

“I had the GECK. Wait, I should backtrack. The super mutants originate from Vault 87. That was their experiment...creating them. I met a friendly one, Fawkes. He’s been trapped in there a long time, maybe he was one of the original residents. I freed him and he went to the irradiated part of the vault and got the GECK. I had it. For about ten minutes. I guess the Enclave tailed me or something because the next thing I know, I’m on the floor unable to move and soldiers come in. And then Autumn too. I tried to break free so I could wrap my hands around his fucking neck but I couldn’t. Then I passed out.”

He goes on about Raven Rock and being Autumn’s prisoner again. When he feels more tears on his chest, he adds,

“I don’t remember much of it. I’m surprised I was there as long as I was.”

“Are you just saying that?” Harkness whispers. “You don’t need to lie because of me. I don’t want you to do that.”

“It’s the truth. I definitely remember escaping though.”

He tells him about President Eden, Autumn overriding his orders, Ray and his sister.

“I convinced an AI to blow up the fucking base. Goddamn. And then we escaped and found Fawkes outside. He came to rescue me. Ray and Carmen left then Fawkes carried me to the Museum of History. Anacostia Station is right there so coming here was the easy part.” His fingers flit across Harkness’ skin. “You were on my mind the whole time. I had to get out so I could come back to you. How are you doing now?”

“A lot better than I’ve been. But that doesn’t matter, you’re the one who’s been a _prisoner_.”

“And you’re the one who had to grieve me. Honestly, I’d rather go through what I did. Now how are you doing really?”

“I am okay now. This is real, right? You’re really here with me.”

“In all my tired, unbathed glory.” He squeezes him and his tone turns serious. “I’m here, Harkness. I promise.”

“You’ve gotten through so much, I refused to believe you died. I waited but I didn’t hear from you and I started thinking maybe the Brotherhood was right...”

Logan’s heart breaks imagining Harkness lying alone in this bed, thinking he was killed by the Enclave.

“Now what?”

“I don’t know. I only went to the vault because I was so upset about Amata and Freddie and couldn’t stand being in Megaton. I still can’t stand the Citadel.”

“You don’t need to decide this minute. I just need you here with me right now.”

“I can do that. I love you.”

“I love you too.”

His body relaxes, knowing he’s safe and that his weeks of terror are over. His mind still races with thoughts but he is happy and relieved to be here. Bad things keep happening but with the Enclave destroyed and him back in Rivet City, maybe this is the beginning of the end of the bad.


End file.
